New cancer detector developed that's fast, sensitive, reliable

50443248 — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 13:33:26 -0400

Cancers and many other diseases often reveal themselves by the presence of proteins absent or inactive in people who do not suffer from such ailments. Researchers are finding new biomarkers, as they are called, at a rapid pace, and they promise faster, more reliable ways to detect a disease earlier and to determine the prospect of recovering from it.

To take advantage of these "hot" new sources of information, researchers at Harvard University have developed a cracker-size electric sensor boasting wires thousands of times thinner than a human hair. In the near future, such sensors might test people for cancer while they wait in their doctor's office, or be implanted under their skin to monitor disease progression or the effectiveness of treatments.

"Heart of glass" may be more than just a metaphor

70652986 — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 05:17:58 -0400

Jeffrey Fredberg is a professor of bioengineering and physiology at the Harvard School of Public Health. His primary research interest is asthma. Fredberg was intrigued by the plasticity of the smooth muscle cells that surround the lung's airways, and which are impaired in asthma, so he and some colleagues began to probe the mechanical properties of the cells. Using a method they invented in 1992, in which magnetized beads stretch and pull at cultured cells, the researchers came up with a series of surprising measurements. "They did not fit any preconceived notions about how muscle cells should behave -- or how any cells should behave," Fredberg said.

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New cancer detector developed that's fast, sensitive, reliable

"Heart of glass" may be more than just a metaphor